Paintball, a popular sport that has developed over the years, which uses compressed gas guns (paintball markers or paintball guns), which utilize compressed gas to fire projectiles. Some examples of paintball guns are those offered under the brand names EMPIRE™, BT™, and MINI™, and others shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,708,685; 4,936,282; 5,497,758; and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/183,548; 11/180,506; 11/150,002; 11/064,693; 10/313,465; 10/090,810, the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Players use the paintball guns to shoot projectiles known as paintballs (projectiles and paintballs may be used interchangeably herein). These paintballs are spherical, frangible projectiles normally having gelatin shells that may rupture on impact filled with paint (coloring or dye). The shells break when impacting a target, allowing the paint within to splatter on a target. A player is eliminated from a game when the player is hit by a paintball fired from an opposing player's paintball gun. When the paintball hits a target such as a player, a mark or “splat” of paint is left on the player.
Paintball guns generally have two basic mechanisms working in conjunction for firing a paintball from the marker during a firing operation. One of these mechanisms is for loading a paintball in the breech of a paintball marker, and usually involves a bolt that reciprocates from a loading position, allowing a projectile into the breech, to a firing position. A valving system is employed to release compressed gas from a source of compressed gas to fire the projectile from the marker.
Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary prior art paintball gun 130 is illustrated having a gun body 132 with a rearward end 134 towards its grip 136 and a forward end 138 towards its barrel 140 is shown. The gun body 132 includes a generally cylindrical interior passage or space (a portion of which may be considered a breech area) for receiving at least some of the firing components (e.g., the hammer and valving components) of the gun 130. A hammer 144 (sometimes referred to in the art as a ram, striker or bolt) is disposed within the gun body 132 adjacent the rearward end 134 of the gun body 132, the hammer 144 having a forward end 146 facing the valve 160. The forward end 146 of the hammer 144 is adapted to contact a valve pin 148.
A main hammer spring 150 is disposed within the gun body 132 and biases the hammer 144 toward the forward or firing position. The hammer 144 is retained in a cocked or ready position by a sear 152 that pivots to engage a portion of the hammer 144. Actuation of a trigger 154 (such as by pulling the trigger) disengages the sear 152 from the hammer 144, allowing the hammer 144 to spring forward under the bias of the main hammer spring 150.
A bolt 156 is disposed within the gun body 132. A firing tube 158 is partially disposed within the bolt 156, such that the bolt 156 coaxially surrounds the firing tube 158. A lateral screw 194 for adjusting the velocity of gas within the firing tube 158 protrudes as shown. Forward movement of the bolt 156 causes forward movement and loading of a projectile 142.
A valve 160 is disposed within the gun body 132 between the hammer 144 and the bolt 156. The valve 160 includes a valve pin 148 extending rearward toward the hammer 144, the valve pin 148 including a contact end 162. A connecting rod 64 connects the hammer 44 and the bolt 56 for synchronized movement of the hammer 44 and the bolt 56. A connecting rod 164 provides a mechanical linkage between the hammer 144 and the bolt 156. The valve 160 assembly includes a valve housing 166 and a valve body 168 disposed within the valve housing 166. The valve body 168 includes an inlet port 170 for receiving gas under pressure from a gas line 196. The valve body 168 includes an outlet port 176 for communicating gas under pressure from within the valve body 168 when the valve 160 is actuated or open. A valve poppet 184 is disposed within the valve body 168. A sealing member such as a cup seal 186 is provided to the valve poppet 184.
A problem with prior art paintball guns is that it is not always easy to gain access to the interior. For example, the body of the paintball gun is usually held together by various screws, bolts and pins, making it difficult to gain access to the interior contents to check or service the paintball gun. If a paintball ruptures inside the paintball gun, a player must gain access to the components to clean and/or otherwise service the paintball gun.
In addition, paintball sport players, as well as those who may service a paintball gun (collectively, any person who may maintain, service, access the interior of, clean or adjust a paintball gun referred to as a “user”), may want to field strip a paintball gun; that is, a user may wish to disassemble a paintball gun for cleaning, service, maintenance, adjustment and/or inspection. During a break from game play, a paintball sport player might wish to take their paintball gun apart to adjust or otherwise service it.
In order to field strip a paintball gun, many such known guns require the removal of numerous parts, and/or the process is difficult, inefficient and/or time consuming. For example, the bodies of many prior art paintball guns were formed as solid and/or one-piece units, having only an opening at one end. This provides a very limited access to the internal components such as the firing assembly of the paintball gun. Of course, the paintball gun then has to be put back together for use, and that too, may be time consuming in connection with prior art designs.
Accordingly, there is the need for a paintball gun having a body that provides efficient, simple and/or easy access to the interior contents.